Tag: lagos

The Erelu Kuti IV of Lagos, Abiola Dosunmu, has said the controversy over ownership of Lagos would soon be put to rest with her new initiative.

Erelu Dosumu, who is also the Erelu Yeye Oodua, addressed reporters on Thursday, November 30, on the coming inauguration of E.Y.O Cultural Renaissance Centre to be held on December 3.

According to her, the Erelu Yeye Oodua Foundation was instituted to address the controversy trailing the history of Lagos’ original settlers, as well as the history, art, lifestyle and culture of Africans. 

She said the centre will focus on research, empowerment, education, training and promotion of culture and languages, as well as unveil a book to end the controversy of who owns Lagos

Erelu Dosumu said: “If people refuse to use common sense and do research, and instead use relics for their argument, why do you waste your time? Everybody is talking from different corners of their mouths, especially those who don’t even know anything about it.

“How old are they, how many of them who are kings today actually grew up within the environment where they could be impacted with the authentic history of their people? I became Erelu in my early 20s, and I was sitting with 80 and 90-year-old men, who had the experience and oratory, from whom I got information. A 200year-old history and I am getting it directly from the source

“I am almost 80 and I have acquired another century of information myself. If I say anything, I am saying it from at least 300 years of verbatim fact.

“But some people talk from here, another one from there, who are they, what was the point of their entry? Maybe some of them started imbibing the culture and traditions five years ago, and then they turned themselves to authority.

Read Also: The Delborough Lagos: Ex-President Jonathan calls asks young Africans to emulate Stanley Uzochukwu

“Hopefully that’s one of the things we will be unveiling here at the centre.”

Erelu also said it is important for government and critical stakeholders to collaborate towards rekindling interest, and increase the consciousness of people to promote the potential of their culture to the world.

 She said the Oodua Cultural Renaissance Centre will be a training ground for languages, promotion of local cuisine, art and, in the long run, will build talents and the economy.

She added: “Nigeria is blessed and rich in culture and the sector can add enormous value to the national GDP if well harnessed. Government must also ensure continued support for individuals and groups working to scale up the enhancement of the country’s cultural heritage.” 

The Lagos state government has said that no fewer than 1000 electric buses (EBs) would be deployed to the roads in the next 24 months.

This is even as the Lagos Metropolitan Transport Authority (LAMATA) said about one million passengers have boarded the Blue Line Rail since it commenced commercial operation on September 4, 2023.

Disclosing this at a Press conference marking the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), the managing director, Abimbola Akinajo, said this is to further demonstrate the commitment of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration to the Transportation and Traffic Management pillar of the THEMES+ agenda and to explore alternative fuel for urban mobility and improve our air quality.

She said already, the government in collaboration with Oando Clean Energy Limited (OCEL), has already deployed two e-vehicles (EV) to test proof the concept and there are plans to increase this to 50 buses during the pilot phase, adding that; “the plan is to increase the fleet to over 1000 buses in the next two years.”

She disclosed that the state is also piloting the use of Clean Natural Gas (CNG) as auto fuel for its vehicles, adding that already, 10 CNG buses are being used on selected BRT corridors to test their adaptability to public transport.

She said these fits perfectly into LAMATA’s Strategic Transportation Master Plan where emission will be reduced and achieve the state’s vision to achieve net zero emission by 2050, through the deployment of eco-friendly rolling stock like CNG, Biofuel and electric buses.

On the Lagos Urban Train Projects (LUTP), Mrs Akinajo said LAMATA has delivered on the Blue Line rail, a fully electric rail system, adding that work on civil works on the second rail project – the Red Line will be completed before the end of the year, with test running proposed to commence by Quarter 1, 2024, while commercial services will begin by Quarter 2, 2024.

Mrs Akinajo was in the company of other top management staff of the agency, among whom are the Director of Rail, Engr Olasunkanmi Okusaga, the Technical Director, Corporate Planning and Investments Engr Agbonsegbe Osa Konyeha, and Mrs Abiola Ajayi, said the last 20 years has seen LAMATA recording several milestones, adding that its vision for the next 20 years is the delivery of a more robust public intermodal transport system.

She noted: “As we begin another 20 years, our vision is to see a Lagos where all transport modes are integrated, and people do not need to put their vehicles on the road to get to where they want to go, a Lagos where emission will be reduced.”

She said LAMATA has played pivotal roles in developing an integrated multimodal transport system for Lagos State, beginning with the implementation of the $200 million credit from the World Bank for the implementation of the Lagos Urban Transport Project known as the LUTP 1, a project which gave birth to the first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, described by the World Bank as the first successful BRT in sub-Saharan Africa. LAMATA has also implemented LUTP 2, jointly funded by the World Bank and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD).

She said LAMATA came up with the first Strategic Transport Master Plan (STMP) in 2009 for the Lagos Metropolitan Area, with a more elaborate one developed in 2014 to cover the entire State and four neighbouring local government areas of Ogun state.

LAMATA also rehabilitated 630km of federal, state and local government roads considered as germane to ease the daily commuting of Lagosians.   

Some of these roads include Akin Adesola, Idejo, and others in Victoria Island, Oba Sekumade Road, Ikorodu, Ayo Alabi Road, which connects Ajayi Road to Ogba in the Ikeja Local Government area of the State, Alaba Road, Ojo, WEMPCO Road, Ikeja, Ijegun Road in Alimosho and many others.

LAMATA was also able to solve the flood problem on WEMPCO Road with an underground drainage outfall into Omole Gorge.

The LAMATA chief said in the last 20 years, the agency built and operationalized the 13kmOshodi-Abule-Egba and 34km Ikorodu-CMS BRT Corridor, and implemented two of the six rail lines –Blue and Red, and with the support of parent Ministry, Lagos State Ministry of Transportation facilitated the development of the Lagos Non-Motorised Transport (NMT) policy, which the government approved in 2019.

She stated: “Under the Bus Reform Initiative (BRI), the Lagos State Government procured 920 environmentally friendly buses which we manage on behalf of the Government. As part of the BRT, we have constructed Modern Bus Terminals at Ikeja, Ojota, Ifako-Ijaiye, Yaba, Oyingbo, MMIA/Ewu, Ajah, Abule Egba etc.)

Read Also: With LAMATA, multi-modal transport takes shape in Lagos

“We have implemented an Intelligent Transport System (ITS) and deployed an Automated Fare Collection System with the use of Cowry Card. There are over 4 million cards in use.”

The LAMATA Chief said the agency is currently implementing phase 1 of the AFD and IFC-funded Lagos State Strategic Transport Master Plan (LSTMPP1), which involves the construction of two Interchanges, eight Quality Bus Corridors, and the implementation of various studies on the LSTMP Projects.

Mrs Akinajo thanked all past governors in the state, beginning from Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, (now Nigeria’s President), Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode and the current governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu for thinking outside the box in giving to Lagosians an agency that is making transportation seamless in the state.

She equally acknowledged all her predecessors in office, from the pioneer Managing Director, Dr Dayo Mobereola and Engr Abiodun Dabiri, as well as all past and current workers and all other stakeholders for their roles in the growth of LAMATA.

Recently, the Oba of Benin, Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo Ewuare II, sparked controversy when he said the Binis founded Lagos during his visit to the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Oba Ewuare II said: “It is in the history books that the Binis founded Lagos. When some people will hear it now, they will go haywire; what is the Oba saying there again?

“But it is true. Go and check the records. Maybe not all over Lagos as we know it now but certain areas in Lagos, maybe the nucleus of Lagos, were founded by my ancestors. The Oba of Lagos will say so.”

His statement has continued to elicit a flurry of reactions, especially on social media platforms.

Down memory lane, there is a lot of traditional history at both Benin and Lagos ends relating to the origin of what is now Lagos, its ruler, and its connection with Benin.

However, checks by The Nation concerning existing academic papers and research revealed the following facts:

1. Lagos (Èkó) initially emerged as a port city that originated on a collection of islands, which are contained in the present-day Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Lagos Island, Eti-Osa, Amuwo-Odofin, and Apapa.

2. Lagos was originally inhabited by the Awori sub-group of the Yoruba people in the 15th century, who called it “Oko”. Under the leadership of the Oloye Olofin, the Awori moved to an island now called Iddo and then to the larger Lagos Island.

3. In the 16th century, the Awori settlement was conquered by the Benin Empire and the island became a Benin war camp called “Eko” under Oba Orhogba, the Oba of Benin at the time. Eko is still the native name for Lagos.

4. Lagos, which means “lakes”, was also a name given to the settlement by the Portuguese. The present-day Lagos state has a high percentage of Awori, who migrated to the area from Isheri along the Ogun River. Throughout history, it was home to several warring ethnic groups who had settled in the area.

Read Also: Lagos is a white man’s land – Seun Kuti reveals

Following its early settlement by the Awori nobility and its conquest by the Bini warlords of Benin, the state first came to the attention of the Portuguese in the 15th century.

5. Portuguese explorer Rui de Sequeira visited the area in 1472, naming the area around the city Lago de Curamo. Another explanation is that Lagos was named for Lagos, Portugal – a maritime town that, at the time, was the main centre of Portuguese expeditions down the African coast.

6. Historically, profits from the slave trade allowed the ruler of Lagos, the Oba, to become the sovereign of a regional power. In 1851, a dispute between Oba Kosoko (and his deposed anti-slavery brother, Oba Akitoye, caught the attention of the British who occupied Lagos and reinstalled Akitoye. In 1861, Akitoye’s successor, Oba Docemo signed a treaty making Lagos a British colony.

7. In the twentieth century, Lagos became a centre for resistance to colonial rule. Revolts against water rates and the alienation of indigenous land in 1908 and 1911 served to unite native African elites and working-class residents.

8. Although there are conflicting accounts about Lagos’ history, some have argued that the Binis founded the Lagos monarchy or system of rulership, apparently in the image of Benin’s. Ashipa, the first Oba of Lagos, was a Yorùbá chief but not a Lagosian.

It is known also that between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries, the Benin Empire extended as far as Porto-Novo, west of Lagos. The Oba of Benin did appoint viceroys or representatives on the island and approved all appointees to the office of Oba of Lagos.

In return, Lagos Obas paid tribute to Oba of Benin in recognition of the latter’s superior status. Other historians have insisted that the Oba of Benin waged war on the island for the same reasons wars were then prevalent.

9. Robert S. Smith, in his book of some principal Yoruba owns, especially in and around Oyo, and the westward expansion in the 17th century of Benin Kingdom with its number of subject towns on or near the coast, which included Lagos, went on to say this about Lagos in particular:

“Its name reflects its past to the Yoruba its Eko, deriving probably from the farm (Oko) of the earliest settlers, though alternatively, additionally, it may be the Benin word (Eko) for a war camp…We say Eko is a Benin word that means camp”